Why did he join the Connaught Rangers and how did he get away with being too old?

[Colin M]

My great grandfather enlisted on 24th October 1914 at Cockspur Street, London and was posted to the Connaught Rangers, initially at Kinsale Barracks in County Cork, serving with the 3rd and then the 5th Battalions of the regiment for the remainder of the war. He was born in Bow, London and I'm not aware that he had any Irish blood or connections, so I am puzzled why he ended up in an Irish regiment. Was it pot luck which regiment you ended up in or was there a choice? He was a bootmaker by trade and became a Sergeant Shoemaker, so could he have been selected for the Rangers because of his trade?

He also lied about his age on the enlistment form, giving it as 38 instead of 42 and so staying under the upper age limit. All his army records show his joining age as 38 right up to his demobilisation/discharge, so it seems he got away with it. I have read there were no identify checks on names and ages. I realise that the age limit increased to 41 and eventually to 50 by April 1918. Was it common for older men to falsify their age in order to enlist?

Colin M.

[charlie962]

24 minutes ago, Colin M said:

I'm not aware that he had any Irish blood or connections, so I am puzzled why he ended up in an Irish regiment

Many non-Irish recruits were needed to make up the Irish Bns to strength.

25 minutes ago, Colin M said:

Was it common for older men to falsify their age in order to enlist?

Yes! There are some remarkable extremes.

[corisande]

Have a read of this old thread, which answers your question on why he was put into the Connaught Rangers

You will see that one reply says

Owing to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient number of Irish recruits to make good the losses sustained by the Battalions of the Connaught Rangers, recruiting was opened in London to supplement Irish recruits. The first party of English recruits joined 25 Oct 1914.

[MaxD]

went to Mesopotamia 11 May '15 until 3 Feb 16 then to India on 4 Feb '16 until 16 Oct '17 then back to Mesopotamia 17 Oct '17 until 1 Apr '18 then to Egypt 2 Apr '18 until 24 Feb '19 returning to the UK 29 Apr '19.

There is something not quite right in his records.  1 Connaught Rangers were in France until 11 Dec 1915 when they sailed for Basra.  His statement of services is mangled and although the dates 11 5 15 and 3 Feb 1916 do appear in the record it isn't clear that he was with 1 Connaughts.  Others may make a better job of reading his record than I. 

British Army Service Records 1914-1920 Image | findmypast.co.uk

 

MaxD

[Colin M]

21 hours ago, charlie962 said:

Many non-Irish recruits were needed to make up the Irish Bns to strength.

Yes! There are some remarkable extremes.

Thank you Charlie962 for explaini.ng the recruitment of non-Irish to the CR's. Colin M.

[Colin M]

18 hours ago, corisande said:

Have a read of this old thread, which answers your question on why he was put into the Connaught Rangers

You will see that one reply says

Owing to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient number of Irish recruits to make good the losses sustained by the Battalions of the Connaught Rangers, recruiting was opened in London to supplement Irish recruits. The first party of English recruits joined 25 Oct 1914.

Thank you Corisande for pointing me to this thread, which was very helpful. Interestingly my great grandfather enlisted at Cockspur St. London on 24th October 1914, one day earlier than the date stated for the first party of recruits. Colin M.

[Colin M]

3 hours ago, MaxD said:

went to Mesopotamia 11 May '15 until 3 Feb 16 then to India on 4 Feb '16 until 16 Oct '17 then back to Mesopotamia 17 Oct '17 until 1 Apr '18 then to Egypt 2 Apr '18 until 24 Feb '19 returning to the UK 29 Apr '19.

There is something not quite right in his records.  1 Connaught Rangers were in France until 11 Dec 1915 when they sailed for Basra.  His statement of services is mangled and although the dates 11 5 15 and 3 Feb 1916 do appear in the record it isn't clear that he was with 1 Connaughts.  Others may make a better job of reading his record than I. 

British Army Service Records 1914-1920 Image | findmypast.co.uk

 

MaxD

Thanks MaxD for your interest, but I don't understand your reference to the 1st Battalion. I have found from the records that my great grandfather initially joined the 3rd Battalion and then transferred to the 5th, embarking with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force on 22nd September 1915, He remained with the 5th for the remainder of the war until the battalion was renumbered as the 2nd in 1919. Or have I confused matters? Colin M.

[MaxD]

The record you cited belngs to 4808 Albert Hardy.  The date 15 5 15 appears on his statement of services against an entry "Posted 1st" and has a BEF France stamp.  The medal award roll and his medal card say his  1914/1915 Star relates to entering France on 11 5 1915 and I can't relate the sequence of events on his record to the 5th Battalion or indeed the 1st.  5th Battalion fought at Gallipoli, Salonika and Palestine which doesn't really cross check with the sequence of place/dates on his record.  He joined on 5 November 1914.

My main sources are the Connaught Rangers Association history of the regiment The Great War 1914-1918 - Connaught Rangers Association and the LLT piece on the regiment  Connaught Rangers – The Long, Long Trail (longlongtrail.co.uk)

I don't pretend to be expert at the history of this regiment but the disparity between the sequence of places and dates on 4808's record and what I see in the histories was striking.  Have I perhaps got the wrong man (although I did use the link you gave earlier).

 

MaxD

[Colin M]

On 01/08/2021 at 15:26, MaxD said:

The record you cited belngs to 4808 Albert Hardy.  The date 15 5 15 appears on his statement of services against an entry "Posted 1st" and has a BEF France stamp.  The medal award roll and his medal card say his  1914/1915 Star relates to entering France on 11 5 1915 and I can't relate the sequence of events on his record to the 5th Battalion or indeed the 1st.  5th Battalion fought at Gallipoli, Salonika and Palestine which doesn't really cross check with the sequence of place/dates on his record.  He joined on 5 November 1914.

My main sources are the Connaught Rangers Association history of the regiment The Great War 1914-1918 - Connaught Rangers Association and the LLT piece on the regiment  Connaught Rangers – The Long, Long Trail (longlongtrail.co.uk)

I don't pretend to be expert at the history of this regiment but the disparity between the sequence of places and dates on 4808's record and what I see in the histories was striking.  Have I perhaps got the wrong man (although I did use the link you gave earlier).

 

MaxD

Thanks again for your interest and efforts. Our wires have got crossed and the man you have looked up is in the thread referred to by Corisande, originally raised by Drifter. My great grandfather is John Arundel Prior Anthony, a Sgt Shoemaker with the 3rd and then 5th Battalions. Thanks very much anyway for trying to help! Colin M.

[MaxD]

It might have helped if you had given his name earlier!  Never mind, I learned something about the Connaught Rangers even if it was the wrong chap.

 

MaxD